


strikhedonia

by totaldile



Series: miki's love live prompts and ficlets [4]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totaldile/pseuds/totaldile
Summary: Strikhedonia - The pleasure of being able to say “to hell with it”.





	

Maki had always preferred the piano at school. Her one at home was old and faithful and gorgeous and expensive, and she’d spent many, many hours sitting on a stool and running her fingers over the keys. It had been her home through scales, sheet music, sight reading and everything in-between. It wasn’t until she found the grand piano in the music room at the quaint little high school her parents had suggested, though, that she’d learned to compose, to create, to craft. The piano in the living room was the home of Maki, the pianist, but the piano in the music room was the home of Maki, the idol.

It was dark outside again - stars upon stars upon stars and a fraction of moonlight fought for attention in the comforting black of the sky. Another good thing about the music room - she’d always had a brilliant view of the night sky. It was a familiar sight, after all this time, considering just how many late nights she’d spent at this piano, slaving away to make sure she was happy with every note. Sometimes the others would stay with her, too - Umi, to help make sure the lyrics complimented the song to its greatest extent. Kotori, to really gauge what kind of costumes would best suit it. Eli, to really get the dance moves perfect. Nozomi, Hanayo, Honoka, Rin for moral support or food or anything else she needed.

A strangely quiet voice hummed atop the melody her fingers ran down the keys, absentmindedly. It wasn’t composition, just familiar melodies mixed together. Nico could follow along either way. She’d always been adaptable, in her own way.

Out of all of them, Nico had spent the most late nights with her in the music room. It started off as a convenience - a place to go when she didn’t have to go home and didn’t want to either. Better than being alone in the clubroom. Maki had never asked, but it made sense, later on. Nico loved her siblings, but she needed space like anyone else would. Later, though, it started to feel like less of a coincidence and more of a silent agreement. Nico was someone to banter with, someone to remind her just how human she was when she couldn’t get the notes right. A friend to bounce ideas off, and a harsh critic all the same (not that Maki always trusted her opinion, but she had to admit Nico had better taste than anyone had ever expected). There was a sense of trust, too. Sometimes when the rain was loud and they were alone, things would come tumbling of their mouths that they’d never expected to hear or think, out in a torrent of misplaced feelings and a song in the wrong key.

No, those things stayed there, written down on crumpled up pieces of paper and whispered to the beat of the raindrops.

All things end, though, and moments in time end the fastest. Maki’s phone buzzed with another message - her parents, undoubtedly, wondering how much longer she’d be.

“We should go,” she said, drawing her hands away from the piano with just a fraction of regret - enough for Nico to note with her eyes and cast a split-second questioning glance, but nothing more. Maki dusted off her skirt, rose from the stool, and lowered the lid over the keys, feeling it rest with a wooden clunk.

“Yeah,” Nico admitted, standing up fully and rubbing her elbows. Leaning on the piano had to be uncomfortable for long periods of time, but she’d always said it gave her the best view. Maki hadn’t bothered to ask the follow-up. “It’s late, I guess.”

Maki wondered if she should have been more tactful, maybe softer with her words, but she’d certainly never made an effort to do so before and starting now would be obvious. Thinking about it, Nico probably wouldn’t have appreciated it anyway. The two of them had always been blunt. Trying to change that now would be even more dishonest.

“What are you going to do now?” Maki asked, as they left the school grounds, shoulder to shoulder, or close enough. She hoped the lilt in her voice didn’t give it away - maybe her expression would, but she’d rather Nico looked her to figure it out.

“Cook dinner, I guess,” Nico said, an airy tone to her words, and Maki restrained herself from swatting the girl on the head.

“You know what I mean,” she said, frowning, except maybe her voice was a little shakier than she’d meant it to be, and - ugh.

“Yeah, I know, I’m just teasing,” she replied, but there was none of the usual indignance or bite to the way she spoke. She’d never thought of Nico as a soft person, but then, it was a late night in the music room. They hadn’t split apart to go home yet, so it still counted. Probably.

“I got my license, so you want to go a road trip with me?”

Of all the things to emerge from Nico Yazawa’s mouth at nine in the evening, when the streets were quiet and mood sombre, Maki hadn’t expected that to be one of them.

“I - what?” she stumbled across her words, cursing her tongue and forcing herself to iron out the words she wanted to say. “Where did that come from?”

Nico flashed her a (stupidly) winning grin, and put her hands on her hips.

“I did get my license a month or so ago, you know. And, well,” her lips twisted into a very very slightly abashed half-smile. Very, very slightly. “Maybe I just wanted to channel my inner Honoka, you know? Do something different.”

Of all the thing to emerge from her own mouth at nine in the evening, when the streets were quiet and mood sombre, Maki hadn’t expected a giggle and the words, “Sure, then.” to be them.

Nico, to her credit, looked equally as shocked, leaning back in her own very signature dramatic fashion and stumbling a couple of steps. She never lost her balance, though.

“R-really?” her voice felt like it echoed, although maybe it was just how empty the world felt without people or cars to bother them. No, there was just herself, Nico, and the warm evening air.

“Really,” Maki said, still surprising herself but rolling with it because maybe, maybe the summer air was making her a little bit delirious but it was fun. It really was fun.

Nico spent a further three second gaping (Maki only counted because she was pulling a funny face) before composing herself again, settling back into her usual stride and making out like she hadn’t been completely thrown off merely seconds beforehand.

“Don’t you have piano recitals, and stuff? You said you were keeping yourself pretty busy now that school’s out,” Maki pretended, for both of their sakes, that she didn’t hear Nico’s voice crack on those last two words.

“To hell with piano,” she said. Yeah, she was definitely delirious. “There are other things I’d rather spend my time with.”

Nico didn’t bother to ask the follow-up, just hummed an assent, clasped her hands behind her back and did absolutely nothing to hide the huge grin spread across her face.

Maki couldn’t help but grin back. The evening summer air made everything, everything feel warm.


End file.
